The Tale of One Called Coppercurls
by an anonymous geek
Summary: Repost. The Circle Reunites, and two certain mages find themselves ensnared in the net of love. [BT]


Coppercurls

by an anonymous geek

_Summary- This is a repost of my last Tris/Briar fanfiction, and hopefully this version will be a lot better. The original summary was: Circle of Magic people reunite, two people realize their feelings for each other, then an evil sorcerer gets in the way of everything. [B/T]_

_Rating- Still PG, though I might change it later on (but I'm going to put anything really bad in it)._

_Warning- I haven't read the Circle of Magic books since last May, so don't murder me if I get something wrong._

_Author's Note- Well, this story was originally first put on FanFiction.Net on July 29, 2003, and the last chapter was written on November 27, 2003. Now I'm finally going to go through it again and try to improve it. I hope you like it; I had fun writing it before (it was my second fanfiction, so I sorta have an attachment to it)._

_Dedication- I want to dedicate this story to CrosseyedButterfly, whom I was really mean to in the original version of this. I've now finally realized that she was right, and I was simply being too sensitive and ended up being a jerk to her. I thoroughly apologize for everything!_

_Disclaimer- I regret to announce that I don't own anything... though I'd LOVE to own Briar._

Chapter One 

Tris was filled with excitement as she approached and sighted Discipline Cottage. Noting with joy that the cottage had not changed at all since she had left, the red-head smiled as she kicked her horse to trot faster. The swelling heat of the bright summer day was not as unbearable as she remembered it; it seemed that from being in all the different cities, she had grown an immunity to the heat here. It was barely humid compared to some places she had visited. At least here a slight breeze would grace the villagers with its presence as it swept through Winding Circle. No one had any such luck in one city that she had stopped by; she shuddered at the memory of the dry, moisture-less town. Before she let her mind go on a tangent, Tris looked back at the cottage and noticed a figure running out of it. As she neared, she recognized who it was.

Sandry. The female mage looked so different from when she had last seen her, yet she still remained the same in some aspects of her nature. The way she was easily exited and happy reminded Tris of the times that the four of them would spend together; while she herself was being the sullen teenager, Sandry was always the one to cheer all of them up. 

"Tris!' Sandry exclaimed from glee. As Tris jumped down from her horse, the other girl engulfed her in a giant embrace. The wind was knocked out of her for the moment, but she recovered herself and regained her voice.

"Sandry!" Tris said with emotion heavy in her voice from being reunited with her friend after so long. She was surprised with herself from showing so much emotion. Now that they were near one another, Tris took the moment to get a good look at her noble friend. "Wow, Sandry, you've really changed. But you still look great." And indeed she did, Tris noted. Sandry was wearing a dark blue dress that fit her perfectly and showed off her impeccably slim body.

"So do you, Tris," her friend said, with a smile still evident on her face. She looked around. "Where's Niko?"

"I think he mentioned stopping at the Hub."

"Okay. Well, you're the first one here. Daja won't be here till sometime tonight, and I have no idea when Briar will be arriving. It's wonderful that we'll all be together soon. I missed you all so much. The three of you got to go off on your own adventures while I had to remain here by myself." She looked quite discontented. However, her face once again returned to its merry state. "The rest of them won't be here for a while, so let's go inside, and you have to tell me all about your journeys." Sandry put her arm around Tris as the two of them walked into the cottage, avidly discussing Tris's travels.

~ * ~

After a few hours of reminiscing and discussing recent news, the two girls began to wonder about the others. "I wonder where Daja is," said Sandry. "I would have thought she would be here by now."

"Did somebody say my name?" asked a voice from outside the door. Both girls immediately jumped up as it their chairs had just caught fire. Sandry gave a small squeal of excitement (to which Tris rolled her eyes), and the two of them walked over to the former Trader. As they opened the door to envelop their friend in a hug, the two of them looked behind Daja to see Frostpine, and surprisingly, Rosethorn, step out of the wagon.

"Sorry I took so long," Daja apologized. "The wheel on the wagon broke, and it took a long time to fix. While we were fixing it, though, these two came along."

Unconsciously, Tris held her breath as a familiar dark head presented itself when the owner of it jumped out of the wagon. _Briar_? That was Briar? It certainly did not look like the same boy she had left a long time ago. He looked so... different now. But that wasn't the right word. What simple word _could_ adequately describe him? He looked supremely handsome now, with his black hair and olive eyes. Olive eyes that Tris knew would haunt her from now on. Why was she so suddenly thinking of Briar this way? It felt wrong to think such thoughts about him... he was practically her brother! Yet as he walked toward them, she inhaled quickly and felt her pulse quicken. He was talking and laughing with Sandry at the moment; he hadn't seemed to have noticed her quite yet. 

For one moment, Tris felt so void of all practical thoughts as Briar's gaze swept her way. He smiled at her, and her insides positively melted. '_Stop_!' she told herself. 'Stop, stop, stop, stop, STOP!' She had to get rid of these thoughts. But as he walked over to her, she couldn't help it. Then, dear gods, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Tris thought she would actually faint right there and then. Thankfully, though, she had her good sense and some slight control over her body, so she recovered quickly and said, "It's great to see you, Briar."

He pulled back and looked her in the eye, a small smile playing upon his lips. "It's great to see you too... _Coppercurls_."

~ * ~

_A/N- Sorry for the shortness of it; I plan for the next chapter to be longer. NOW, please review or I will be very angry. I hoped you liked the chapter; I put a little fluff in to appease romance-lovers like myself. It may seem as if the romance is coming too quickly, but I promise that it will get better and there will be ambivalence and conflicting emotions. REVIEW!_

_~An Anonymous Geek_


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